Door stop

ABSTRACT

A door stop is disclosed which includes an arm pivotally mounted intermediate its ends on a door. The door is pivotally mounted on a door jamb so as to be capable of being rotated between open and closed positions relative to the door jamb. The arm has a jamb engaging end which is adapted to engage the door jamb when the door is rotated into or away from the closed position so as to rotate the arm between first and second positions. When the arm is in the second position a wall engaging end of the arm extends away from the surface of the door remote from the jamb so as to be capable of engaging a wall. Retainer means are preferably mounted on the wall so as to engage the wall engaging end in order to hold the door in said position. Latch means are preferably employed to lock the arm against rotation when it is in said first position so as to hold the jamb engaging end in engagement with the jamb in order to prevent the door from being opened.

United States Patent 11 1 Carrier Feb. 4, 1975 DOOR STOP [76] Inventor: Vernon J. Carrier, 9166 Cerrites No. 19, Anaheim, Calif. 92804 [22] Filed: May 14, 1973 [21] Appl. No.: 359,999

292/277,198, DIG. 15; 16/82, 85, 86

Primary Examiner-Roy D. Frazier Assistant Examiner-Peter A. Aschenbrenner Attorney, Agent. or Firm Edward D. OBrien [57] ABSTRACT A door stop is disclosed which includes an arm pivotally mounted intermediate its ends on a door. The door is pivotally mounted on a door jamb so as to be capable of being rotated between open and closed positions relative to the door jamb. Thearm has a jamb engaging end which is adapted to engage the door jamb when the door is rotated into or away from the closed position so as to rotate the arm between first [56] References Cited and second positions. When the arm is in the second UNITED STATES PATENTS position a wall engaging end of the arm extends away 642,947 2/1900 Zesiger 292/78 m the surface of the door remote from the jamb so 768,825 8/1904 Smith 16/82 as to be capable of engaging a wall. Retainer means 770,837 9/1904 Wells 292/78 are preferably mounted on the wall so as to engage the 1,1 l MOYBI' wan engaging end in order to the door in said p0- 2,031,897 2/1936 Luce 292/78 X sition. Latch means are preferably employed to lock g g iggi fi' the arm against rotation when it is in said first position 3:328:06l 6/1967 whistler,'sr. ei ;if:::....: 16/86 A x as .hold jamb engaging end engagemimt with the amb in order to prevent the door from being opened.

10 Claims, 7 Drawing Figures llll. l/XIL/ PATENTED FEB M975 DOOR STOP BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The invention set forth in this specification pertains to a new and improved type of door stop. More specifically it pertains to a door stop which is preferably constructed so that it will not extend from a door as the door is in a closed position and which is preferably constructed so as to be capable of being utilized as a bolt or latch in securing the door against being opened.

It will, of course, be recognized that door stops are notoriously old. These structures are commonly used either on door or walls so as to prevent physical damage to either a door or an adjacent wall as a door is moved between open and closed positions. Most commonly these structures are rigidly mounted stop structures which extend from either a door or a wall. Although such rigid structures are unquestionably utilitarian, it is frequently considered that they are somewhat disadvantageous. At times they are considered to be undesirable from an aesthetic standpoint because they extend into a room adjacent to the locations where they are mounted. At times they are considered somewhat undesirable because they tend to interfere with space utilization.

Over the years a number of efforts have been directed towards providing new and improved door stops of one sort or another which are not open to either or both of these types of objections. Examples of activities of this type are shown in the Smith US. Pat. No. 768,825, the Cox US. Pat. No. 930,534, the Reisch U.S. Pat. No. 1,380,158, the Selby US. Pat. No. 1,958,318 and the Graefe, Jr. US. Pat. No. 2,719,321. The structures shown by these patents are considered to be undesirable from a commerical standpoint because of their relative complexity and/or because of difficulties relating to their installation.

It is considered that there is a need for new and improved door stops which are desirable from an aesthetic viewpoint and which do not tend to interfere with the utilization of space which has not been met by various prior efforts in this field as indicated in the preceding discussion and by various other activities in this field. More specifically it is considered that there is an existent need for relatively inexpensive, simple, easily installed door stops which do not extend from either a wall or a door when they are not being used as door stops and which do not interfere with the effective utilization of space.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A broad objective of this invention is to fulfill the needs indicated in the preceding discussion. Thus, the invention is intended to provide new and improved door stops and more specifically to provide door stops of this category which are relatively inexpensive, which are simple in character, which may be easily installed, which are unobjectionable from an aesthetic standpoint and which do not interfere with effective utilization of space. A related objective of the present invention is to provide door stops as indicated which are capable of giving prolonged reliable performance with a minimum of maintenance.

In accordance with this invention, these and various related objectives of it are achieved by providing in the combination of a door pivotally mounted on a door jamb so as to be capable of being rotated between a closed position extending across the door jamb in an open position extending away from the door jamb, the improvement which comprises: an arm pivotally mounted intermediate its ends on a door so as to be capable of being rotated between a first position and a second position, the arm having a jamb engaging end and a wall engaging end, the wall engaging end extending away from the surface of the door remote from the jamb when the arm is in the second position.

With this structure the jamb engaging end is capable of engaging the door jamb when the door is moved between the open and closed positions so as to rotate the arm between the first and second positions of the arm so that the wall engaging end extends away from the door when the door is in the open position and so that the arm is in the first position when the door is in the closed position. Preferably, the arm is mounted on the door so as to be located within the door when it is in the first position.

A door stop structure in accordance with this invention is preferably used in combination with a retainer adapted to be mounted on a wall where it will be engaged by the wall engaging end when the door is in the open position so as to hold the door in this open position. Also preferably a door stop constructed in accordance with this invention includes a latch means movably mounted on the door so that it can be moved to lock the arm against rotation when the door is in a closed position. When such a latch means is used the jamb engaging end of the arm engages the jamb so that the door cannot be rotated to an open position until the latch means is moved so as to release this arm.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS A door stop in accordance with this invention preferably includes a variety of individual features and details which cannot be effectively indicated in summary such as the preceding summary. For this reason the invention is best more fully described with reference to the remainder of this specification, the appended claims and the accompanying drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of a door and door jamb utilizing presently preferred embodiment of a door stop in accordance with this invention,

FIG. 2 is a partial cross-sectional view taken at line 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a partial cross-sectional view taken at line 3-3 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a partial cross-sectional view taken at line 4-4 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a partial cross-sectional view taken at line 5-5 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a view corresponding to FIG. 2 showing parts as illustrated in FIG. 2 in what has been referred to as a second position in engagement with a retainer; and

FIG. 7 is a partial cross-sectional view taken at line 7-7 of FIG. 6.

The particular structure illustrated in the drawing embodies certain intangible features or concepts which are set forth and defined in the appended claims forming a part of this specification. These features may be easily utilized within structures which differ from the illustrated door stop through use or exercise of routine engineering skill. For this reason the illustrated door stop is not to be considered as limiting the scope of the invention defined by the appended claims.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT In the drawing there is shown a door stop in accordance with this invention installed upon a door 12 of a convential variety. The door 12 is mounted upon hinges 14 on a door jamb 16 so as to be capable of being rotated from a closed position as shown in FIG. 1 to a convential open position. This door stop 10 is mounted in a small recessed corner notch 18 located along the top edge 20 of the door 12. Such a notch 18 may be easily cut in the door 12 and will not normally interfere with the appearance of the door 12.

The door stop 10 includes an elongated housing 22 having flat top and bottom plates 24 connected by a wall 26. Preferably the widths of these plates 24 correspond to the thickness of the door 12. As constructed this housing 22 has an elongated slotlike side opening 28 and an open end 30. The housing 22 is adapted to be secured in place on the door 12 by screws 32 extending through spacer bushings 34 which are used to maintain the spacing between the plates 24. Around the bushing 34 adjacent to the open end 30 there is located a bearing sleeve 36 which carries an elongated arm 38 so this arm 38 can be rotated through the opening 28.

This arm 38 has jamb engaging end 40 and a wall engaging end 42. It is adapted to be rotated between a first position as shown in FIG. 2 of the drawing and a second position as shown in FIG. 6 of the drawing by engagement of curved notches 44 on the end 40 against a strike plate 46 mounted upon the door jamb 16. This strike plate 46 is normally located over an opening 48 leading from the surface 50 of the jamb 16 facing the center of this jamb 16 by means of conventional screws or similar fasteners 52. When secured in place an opening 54 in the plate 46 is directly in front of the opening 48. The end 40 of the arm 38 projects far enough from the open end 30 so that when the door 12 is in a closed position this end 40 will extend through the opening 54 in the strike plate 46 into the opening 48. When the arm 38 is located so that the end 40 extends through the opening 54 the arm 38 is in what is referred to in the preceding as a first position.

When the door 12 is opened in a conventional manner one of the notches 44 will engage the strike plate 46 adjacent to the opening 54 so as to cause the arm 38 to be rotated to what was referred to in the preceding as a second position. In this second position the arm 38 extends from the door 12 so that the end 42 is remote from the door 12 in a position to engage a wall 56 or a retainer 58 used on such a wall. If the end 42 is to be used directly to engage a wall 56 it should preferably be provided with a small conventional rubber or similar tip (not shown) and such tip should be dimensioned so as to be freely capable of passing through the opening 28. It is considered to be preferable to use the retainer 58 rather than to have the end 42 directly engaged with the wall 56.

Preferably the retainer 58 employed is formed out of a somewhat resilient polymer material so as to include a base 60 adapted to be secured to the wall 56 either through the use of an adhesive 62 or conventional fasteners 64 or both. Preferably the retainer 58 includes projecting, semicircular lips 66 formed with internal, opposed semicircular ridges 68. With this structure the end 42 is designed to slip between the lips 66 by springing them slightly outward so as to hold the door 12 in an open position. In order to increase the holding action a small bead 70 may be located along the end 42.

It is interesting to note that the retainer 58 may be easily located in a desired operative position upon the wall 56 by swinging the arm 38 to what has been referred to in the preceding as a second position, then inserting the end 42 within the lips 66 and then finally by rotating the door 12 so that the base 60 hits against the wall 56. When the base 60 is coated with an adhesive such as the adhesive 62 it can be mounted in this manner. The semicircular configuration of the lips 66 is considered desirable in facilitating mounting in this manner regardless of the angle of the door 12 to a wall 56 when the door 12 is in an open position since this configuration permits an adjustment of the orientation between the retainer 58 and the end 42.

After the door 12 has been held in an open position by the retainer 58 it may be easily pulled so as to disengage the end 42 from the lips 66 as it is swung to its closed position as shown. During such movement of the door 12 to a closed position notch 44 on the end 40 will engage the strike plate 46 so as to cause the arm 38 to rotate through the opening 28 to what has been referred to in the preceding as the first position.

Preferably the door stop 10 includes a small slider 72 held by the plates 24 along the opening 28 by flanges 74 on these plates 24 fitting into grooves 76 in the slider 72. With this structure the slider 72 can be moved along the length of the housing 22 to a position opposite the arm 38 so as to physically block this arm 38 against rotation. When the arm 38 is secured in this manner the door 12 cannot be opened. Because of its function this slider 72 may be referred to or considered as a latch or bolt means. Obviously it can be slid out of the way of the arm 38 to permit the door 12 to be opened and closed in a normal manner.

In order to make the motion of the arm 38 pronounced and in order to avoid any possibility of the arm 38 being in any position other than either of the operative positions noted it is preferred to utilize with the invention a small wire spring 78 of a so-called Sear" spring category having an end 80 engaged with a lip 82 upon the wall 26 and another end 84 engaged with one of the notches 44. This spring 78 is used in a conventional over center toggle manner so that the end 84 passes across the line between the lip 82 and the center of the bearing sleeve 36 as the arm 38 is rotated. A small projection 86 on the end 40 is used as a stop means against the lip 82 in order to prevent over rotation of the arm 38 past the second position shown in FIG. 2.

From a careful consideration of the described structure it will be realized that it is a simple effective structure capable of giving long, reliable performance, capable of being easily used and capable of being easily installed. Because of its inherent nature the structure can also be manufactured at a comparatively nominal cost. All of these features are considered to be important from a commercial standpoint.

I claim:

1. The combination of a door pivotally mounted on a door jamb so as to be capable of being moved between a closed position extending across said door jamb and an open position extending away from said door jamb in which the improvement comprises:

an arm pivotally mounted intermediate its ends on said door so as to be capable of being rotated between 21 first position and a second position relative to said door,

said arm having a jamb engaging end and a wall engaging end,

said wall engaging end extending away from said door when said arm is in said second posititon, said wall engaging end being positioned adjacent to said door when said arm is in said first position,

said jamb engaging end being capable of engaging said jamb when said door is moved from said closed position so as to rotate said arm from said first position to said second position when said door is in said open position and said jamb engaging end being capable of engaging said jamb when said door is moved from said open position into said closed position so as to rotate said arm from said second position to said first position, so that said arm is in said first position when said door is in said closed position, and

latch means for holding said arm against rotation so as to preclude rotation of said door by preventing rotation of said jamb engaging end out of engagement with said jamb, said latch means being movably mounted on said door so as to be capable of being moved to a position in which it physically blocks rotation of said arm from said first position.

2. The combination claimed in claim 1 wherein:

said jamb engaging end extends into an opening in said jamb when said door is in said closed position and said arm is in said first position.

3. The combination claimed in claim 2 including:

a strike plate mounted on said jamb, and wherein said opening is in said strike plate.

4. The combination claimed in claim 1 including:

retainer means for engaging said wall engaging end so as to hold said door in said open position when said arm is in said second position, said retainer means being mounted independently from said door adjacent to said door.

5. The combination claimed in claim 1 including:

toggle means for preventing said arm from staying in other than either said first position or said second position extending between said arm and said door. 6. The combination claimed in claim 5 wherein: said toggle means includes a resilient spring which is compressed during movement of said arm between said first position and said second position to a greater extent than it is compressed when said arm is in either said first position or said second position. 7. The combination claimed in claim 1 wherein: said door has a notch located therein, said arm fitting within said notch when said door is in said closed position and said arm is in said second position,

said latch means being slightably mounted on said door so as to be capable of being moved relative to said arm.

8. The combination of a door pivotally mounted on a door jamb so as to be capable of being moved between a closed position extending across said door jamb and an open position extending away from said door jamb in which the improvement comprises:

an arm pivotally mounted intermediate its ends on said door so as to be capable of being rotated between a first position and a second position relative to said door,

said arm having a jamb engaging end and a wall engaging end,

said wall engaging end extending away fromsaid door when said arm is in said second position. said wall engaging end being positioned adjacent to said door when said arm is in said first position,

said jamb engaging end being capable of engaging saidjamb when said door is moved from said closed position so as to rotate said arm from said first position to said second position when said door is in said open position and said jamb engaging end being capable of engaging said jamb when said door is moved from said open position into said closed position so as to rotate said arm from said second position to said first position, so that said arm is in said first position when said door is in said closed position,

retainer means for engaging said wall engaging end so as to hold said door in said open position when said arm is in said second position, said retainer means being mounted independently from said door adjacent to said door,

said retainer means being an integral unit of a resilient polymer material including a base adapted to be attached to a wall and a pair of opposed semicircular lips extending from said base, said wall engaging end being capable of being inserted between said lips so as to be resiliently held thereby.

9. The combination claimed in claim 8 including:

toggle means for preventing said arm from staying in other than either said first position or said second position extending between said arm and said door, and wherein:

said jamb engaging end extends into an opening in said jamb when said door is insaid closed position and said arm is in said first position,

said toggle means includes a resilient spring which is compressed during movement of said arm between said first position and said second position to a greater extent than it is compressed when said arm is in either said first position or said second position.

10. The combination of a door pivotally mounted on a door jamb so as to be capable of being moved between a closed position extending across said door jamb and an open position extending away from said door jamb in which the improvement comprises:

an arm pivotally mounted intermediate its ends on said door so as to be capable of being rotated between a first position and a second position relative to said door,

said arm having a jamb engaging end and a wall engaging end,

said wall engaging end extending away from said door when said arm is in said second position, said wall engaging end being positioned adjacent to said door when said arm is in said first position,

said jamb engaging end being capable of engaging said jamb when said door is moved from said closed position so as to rotate said arm from said first position to said second position when said door is in said open position and said jamb engaging end being capable of engaging said jamb when said door is moved from said open position into said closed position so as to rotate said arm from said second position to said first position, so that said arm is in said first position when said door is in said closed position,

said door having a notch formed therein at a corner of said door which swings away from said jamb,

a housing mounted on said door in said notch, said housing having a side opening to one side of said door and an end opening,

said arm being pivotally mounted on said housing in such a manner that said jamb engaging means extends through said end opening when said arm is in said first position and in such a manner that said wall engaging means is within said housing in said first position, said arm being mounted on said housing in such a manner that said wall engaging end extends outwardly through said side opening in said second position,

said arm and said housing including co-acting stop means for limiting rotation of said arm in said second position as said arm is rotated from said first position tosaid second position,

toggle spring means located within said housing and connecting said arm with said housing for preventing said arm from staying in other than either said first position or said second position,

latch means slidably mounted on said housing so as to be capable of being moved along said side opening. said latch means being capable of being moved to a position in which it serves to physically block rotation of said arm from said first position.

said jamb includes a jamb opening, said jamb engaging and extending into said opening when said arm is in said first position. 

1. The combination of a door pivotally mounted on a door jamb so as to be capable of being moved between a closed position extending across said door jamb and an open position extending away from said door jamb in which the improvement comprises: an arm pivotally mounted intermediate its ends on said door so as to be capable of being rotated between a first position and a second position relative to said door, said arm having a jamb engaging end and a wall engaging end, said wall engaging end extending away from said door when said arm is in said second posititon, said wall engaging end being positioned adjacent to said door when said arm is in said first position, said jamb engaging end being capable of engaging said jamb when said door is moved from said closed position so as to rotate said arm from said first position to said second position when said door is in said open position and said jamb engaging end being capable of engaging said jamb when said door is moved from said open position into said closed position so as to rotate said arm from said second position to said first position, so that said arm is in said first position when said door is in said closed position, and latch means for holding said arm against rotation so as to preclude rotation of said door by preventing rotation of said jamb engaging end out of engagement with said jamb, said latch means being movably mounted on said door so as to be capable of being moved to a position in which it physically blocks rotation of said arm from said first position.
 2. The combination claimed in claim 1 wherein: said jamb engaging end extends into an opening in said jamb when said door is in said closed position and said arm is in said first position.
 3. The combination claimed in claim 2 including: a strike plate mounted on said jamb, and wherein said opening is in said strike plate.
 4. The combination claimed in claim 1 including: retainer means for engaging said wall engaging end so as to hold said door in said open position when said arm is in said second position, said retainer means being mounted independently from said door adjacent to said door.
 5. The combination claimed in claim 1 including: toggle means for preventing said arm from staying in other than either said first position or said second position extending between said arm and said door.
 6. The combination claimed in claim 5 wherein: said toggle means includes a resilient spring which is compressed during movement of said arm between said first position and said second position to a greater extent than it is compressed when said arm is in either said first position or said second position.
 7. The combination claimed in claim 1 wherein: said door has a notch located therein, said arm fitting within said notch when said door is in said closed position and said arm is in said second position, said latch means being slightably mounted on said door so as to be capable of being moved relative to said arm.
 8. The combination of a door pivotally mounted on a door jamb so as to be capable of being moved between a closed position extending across said door jamb and an open position extending away from said door jamb in which the improvement comprises: an arm pivotally mounted intermediate its ends on said door so as to be capable of being rotated between a first position and a second position relative to said door, said arm having a jamb engaging end and a wall engaging end, said wall engaging end extending away from said door when said arm is in said second position, said wall engaging end being positioned adjacent to said door when said arm is in said first position, said jamb engaging end being capable of engaging said jamb when said door is moved from said closed position so as to rotate said arm from said first position to said second position when said door is in said open position and said jamb engaging end being capable of engaging said jamb when said door is moved from said open position into said closed position so as to rotate said arm from said second position to said first position, so that said arm is in said first position when said door is in said closed position, retainer means for engaging said wall engaging end so as to hold said door in said open position when said arm is in said second position, said retainer means being mounted independently from said door adjacent to said door, said retainer means being an integral unit of a resilient polymer material including a base adapted to be attached to a wall and a pair of opposed semicircular lips extending from said base, said wall engaging end being capable of being inserted between said lips so as to be resiliently held thereby.
 9. The combination claimed in claim 8 including: toggle means for preventing said arm from staying in other than either said first position or said second position extending between said arm and said door, and wherein: said jamb engaging end extends into an opening in said jamb when said door is in said closed position and said arm is in said first position, said toggle means includes a resilient spring which is compressed during movement of said arm between said first position and said second position to a greater extent than it is compressed when said arm is in either said first position or said second position.
 10. The combination of a door pivotally mounted on a door jamb so as to be capable of being moved between a closed position extending across said door jamb and an open position extending away from said door jamb in which the improvement comprises: an arm pivotally mounted intermediate its ends on said door so as to be capable of being rotated between a first position and a second position relative to said door, said arm having a jamb engaging end and a wall engaging end, said wall engaging end extending away from said door when said arm is in said second position, said wall engaging end being positioned adjacent to said door when said arm is in said first position, said jamb engaging end being capable of engaging said jamb when said door is moved from said closed position so as to rotate said arm from said first position to said second position when said door is in said open position and said jamb engaging end being capable of engaging said jamb when said door is moved from said open position into said closed position so as to rotate said arm from said second position to said first position, so that said arm is in said first position when said door is in said closed position, said door having a notch formed therein at a corner of said door which swings away from said jamb, a housing mounted on said door in said notch, said housing having a side opening to one side of said door and an end opening, said arm being pivotally mounted on said housing in such a manner that said jamb engaging means extends through said end opening when said arm is in said first position and in such a manner that said wall engaging means is within said housing in said first position, said arm being mounted on said housing in such a manner that said wall engaging end extends outwardly through said side opening in said second position, said arm and said housing including co-acting stop means for limiting rotation of said arm in said second position as said arm is rotated from said first position to said second position, toggle spring means located within said housing and connecting said arm with said housing for preventing said arm from staying in other than either said first position or said second position, latch means slidably mounted on said housing so as to be capable of being moved along said side opening, said latch means being capable of being moved to a position in which it serves to physically block rotation of said arm from said first position, said jamb includes a jamb opening, said jamb engaging and extending into said opening when said arm is in said first position. 